Sequoias District Social Media Policy Draft

Sequoias District Social Media Policy [Draft]

Last Updated January 4, 2016

Sequoias District Social Media Policy

Sequoias Community College District encourages online, specifically social media, engagement as a constructive medium for dialogue between students, staff, faculty and our community. District-affiliated social media use should contribute to the District’s mission as outlined in the Mission Statement:

College of the Sequoias is a comprehensive community college district focused on student learning that leads to productive work, lifelong learning and community involvement.

College of the Sequoias affirms that our mission is to help our diverse student population achieve its transfer and/or occupational objectives and to advance the economic growth and global competitiveness of business and industry within our region.

College of the Sequoias is committed to supporting students' mastery of basic skills and to providing access to programs and services that foster student success.

Use of official District social media accounts indicates that you have read and will abide by this policy.

·  This policy may be updated as appropriate due to the changeable nature of social media capabilities; all modifications are effective on the revision date.

·  Existing policies governing student and employee behavior apply to use of District social media accounts.

·  Links to related policies can be found at the end of this document.

Social Media Defined

Merriam Webster defines social media as follows:

Social media comprises forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.

There exist multiple manifestations of online and mobile social networking (social networks, blogs, microblogs, wikis, content-sharing, messaging, forums and check-in services) served by myriad providers; the landscape changes almost daily.

·  Social media tools with which the District hosts official accounts include (but are not limited to) Facebook™, Instagram™, Twitter™, YouTube™ and blog pages tied to the COS website.

·  The District recommends users become familiar with District and respective provider Terms of Use (hyperlinked), to which this District adheres.

Account Creation and Administration

Individual District units or student organizations wishing to develop a social media presence are required to contact the Marketing & Public Information Office before creating social media accounts, groups, pages or profiles. This will ensure accounts are properly established and adhere to District policies and brand guidelines. The District takes no responsibility for accounts created outside of the framework of this policy.

·  Accounts are expected to follow recognized social media best practices [link]; those that consistently fail to meet best practices are subject to review and remediation by the Marketing & Public Information Office.

·  Along with the appropriate staff or faculty representative(s), the Marketing & Public Information Coordinator and Webmaster will be administrators on all District-affiliated accounts and expect continuous access to account log-in information.

·  Students are not to be account Administrators but may have Editor and other appropriate access.

·  In cases where personnel or students leave the District or no longer have account maintenance responsibilities, access will immediately be revoked and/or log-in information changed.

·  Users agree to not post or share user names, passwords or other log-in information.

Time spent using and maintaining District accounts should be specifically for posting content, evaluating traffic data, reviewing related sites, monitoring comments and related duties. District time is not to be used to surf the internet for content without direction or to maintain personal accounts.

District account administrators and editors should be aware that social media platforms often include options for paid promotions and advertising. For help with paid advertising options, contact the Marketing & Public Information Office.

Personal Accounts

This policy does not apply to personal use of social media accounts. The District claims no association with or liability for postings on individual’s personal social media accounts.

Content: Profiles, Posts, Comments and Shares

Content communicated through official District social media accounts reflects upon the District and is therefore expected to be appropriate, ethical, professional and legal. To that end, account users are expected to follow these requirements:

·  Do post content you own or have obtained and recorded permission to use (including images); content is subject to applicable copyright laws.

·  Do obtain and record permission of the subject of the post ahead of time; specific to posting about students, the District is bound by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

·  Do review and respond to comments, messages and other social media content in a timely manner.

·  Do not post personal claims, observations or opinions under the name of the District or its campuses or units; by posting from official District accounts you are speaking on behalf of the District.

·  Do not post personal details such as locations, contact information, dates of birth, personal vehicle identifiers or other, identifying data.

·  Do not post logos, trademarks, photographs or other content owned by the District on non-District sites without the District’s approval.

The District is not responsible or liable for:

·  Content, information and views expressed on social media; such content belongs to the individual posting the content and does not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the District.

·  Content of third-party sites or links to third-party content; linking such content does not imply endorsement by the District of that site or content.

The District reserves the right to:

·  Remove any content that the District deems questionable, duplicative or misrepresentative of the District’s mission.

·  Block users that repeatedly abuse District social media accounts or post content violating District policies.

·  Reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works from and otherwise utilize your submission to official District accounts.

·  Report violations of these requirements or District policies, which may result in disciplinary or legal action as required by law.

Questions or Comments

Questions or comments about District use of social media or this policy should be directed to the Sequoias Community College District, Marketing & Public Information Office (, 559.730.3921).

[Insert Links to Related Policies]

BP5500

AP5501

Website Terms of Use

Image Permission Guidelines

Image Permission Forms

Accessibility requirements

California Government Code Section 8314, which addresses the use of public resources for unauthorized purposes

CA Penal Code sections 502 and 502.01, which address unauthorized access to computers, computer systems, computer data and the criminal penalties that apply

Questions or Comments? Contact the Marketing & Public Information Office (, 559.730.3921).

Page 2 of 4